AUGUSTA, Ga. — Martin Kaymer, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, is not picking himself to win the Masters.

“My favorite this week is Luke Donald,” Kaymer said. “The way he played against me in the Match Play [Donald won 3&2] and his short game is unbelievable. Obviously he’s not the longest [hitter], but he’s very straight and his short game is fantastic. So I think he has the best chance.”

Donald, ranked fourth in the world, has missed the Masters cut in two of the last three years. But he won the WGC-Accenture Match Play, tied for 10th at the Honda Classic and sixth at Doral.

“It’s a big compliment coming from the world’s No. 1 ranked player right now,” Donald said when Kaymer’s words were relayed to him. “You feed off of comments like that. When your peers are speaking highly [of you] it makes you believe you’re better than you even think you are.”

For the record, Kaymer saod he likes Tiger Woods’ chances, too.

“Obviously, he’s won here many times [four],” Kaymer said. “He won by 15 shots

14 years ago, so you should never forget about him.”

As for his own game, Kaymer made some changes in routine entering this week hoping to break the trend. He’s missed the cut all three times he’s played the Masters, shooting a combined 12-over par.

Kaymer opted not to play the week before Augusta, as he had the previous couple of years when he played the Houston Shell Open.

“I’ve never made the cut, so I needed to change something,” Kaymer said. “If you miss the cut three times then I think it cannot get any worse.”

Last week, Kaymer played at nearby Sage Valley and hung out with his family.